Automobile signal



DCC. 1, 1931. R G. VAN DUYN 1,834,557

AUTOMOBILE S IGNAL Filed OCT.. 6, 1930 `I N VEN TOR.

BY MfL/ A TTORNEY UNITEDSTATES' nonnnri GnovniivAN DUYN, or GREENEIELD, INDIANAy ill,

showingthe signal means in projected posi-j Patented Dec. 1, 1931 ,PATENTv AUfro-ivioBiLE SIGNAL .illipiicatimi aied october e, 193e. serial No. 486,553.

1 The present vinvention relates to improve-'- ments in signaling devices for. automobiles,l particularly for school buses, and the e. vide' a 'signaling' device for such vehicles which will project a ligure, preferably the figure ofla child, into a position in the roadway where it can be seen by acar approaching from eitherA direction. The .figure yis l' 10 adaptedi to be .projected intosuch position `when the vehicle is stopped forv loading or unloading, and is :adapted -to .be retracted into' a housing at other times. yFurther oby jects ofthe invention will appearasvthe derelated objects, my,` invention may 'be embodied in the form illustratedin the accom- .'p'anyingl drawings, it being understood,

20' however, that the` drawings are illustrative only, andthat change may befmade in the specific mechanismillustratedfso long asthe :scope .of the appended claims.` is not violated.

Insaid drawings, .f Y

Y'ing my inventionnapplied theretog Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section the signal.-Ycarrying` :.casing, 'showing the mechanismtherein;g5` f i' Y `'Fig-'3 isfalview similarito,Fig. 2, but` tion; F ig.` lis `a top plan, partly iii'section, of the signal mechanism; v

Figfsis a broken `horizontal section of a detail;V s v Fig. 6 is a sectionalview of a switchfor 'controlling Van element orv the` signaling I mechanism; and

i' 10: Fig. is Va central section--throughlthe ='winding mechanism. i

Referring more particularly toV the drawings, it-iwill be seen that I .havev illustrated a vehicle' 1 of the general character-of a school bus Upon thisvehicle, and 'prefer# ably adjacent the .loading door theneof, there ismounted. asign-al boX'` 2. ln the '1llustrated Iiorin of bus, tl'ie loading dooi'is at the rear ofy thevehicle, and. in this lform, the 'box 2is mountedon the' left-handf rear corner .same being attached to the upright by screws through embodiment, the 4cable 1l is led over a series or" the vehicle. A signaling ligure is mountedV for projection from and retraction into "the boX2, saidiigurecomprising a' pair of Anobj'ect of tlreinvention is to pro-f sheet metal plates 3,` eachenameled anddecorated on its onev surface tosimulate the fig'-v ure of a school child. The two' plates are mounted upon an intermediate upright bar 4 to which is secured a channel member 5, the

6, or the: like. a

A pair oflinks 7 and 8 have their one ends pivoted at angularly spaced points on the channel member 5, and have their opposite ends pivoted'at similarly spaced points on a second channel memberf9 suitably secured 65 adjacent the bottom. of the box 2. As will be obvious, the arrangement of' the channel members 5 and 9 and the links 7 .and 8 is such as to maintain theligure 3 alwaysin a verf.V tical position as the links 7 and 8 are-swung'v 70 about theirpivotal inountings on the channel member .f

A contractible spring 10 has its o'ne'end anchored inthe box 2 and has its lower end at-` taclied to the linkl 8, tending .to rotate'the: 5

link in arclockwise direction aboutits pivot to the positionv illustrated in Fig. 2. -As will 1 bey obvious, the weight of the figure is `so :suspended as to tend to cause counter-clockwise rotation ofrthe links 7 and 8 to the full-line position ofoFig.Y 3.. The strength' of the spring 10 is not suiicie'nt to overcome-:fthe gravitative veffect of the figure 3, or even to hold-the figure'i'n the position'foFig. .2, biit said spring is supplied merely to assist in the" retracting movement of the figure'. The operating means for the ligure comprises a cable 11 secured to the link 8 at a point l2 within the confinesy of the box 2. In the illustrated of pulleys 14 through theiloor of the bus and to a drum 13 mounted adjacent thedrivers seat.- It will be obvious that the cable may `drumq13 isy mounted ona` shaft which is ro,- 3

tatable through the medium of the handle in which is mounted a locking pin 15 adapted to take into any one of a series of openings 16 in a stationary plate', for the purpose of maintaining the drum in any desired adjusted position whereby the ligure may be maintained in any sitions. v

I prefer to provide also a light j signal which, in the illustratedembodiment, takes the form of a signal housing 17 adapted` to contain an electric light bulb and pro: vided with the usual warning lenses on its opposite faces. l I carried on the Jfree end of an arm 18 pivoted at I1 9 within the. housing 2. VIn. the

illustrated embodiment, the ,arm 18 comprises a pair of metal strips Vwhich may or ymay not 'constitute the arms Vof a ,1J-shaped member. .Ot-course'it `willbe obvious that the arm 18 might be vformed asa single woodi enblock or aSany other form of solid niemits one .end anchored withinv the box 2 and.

ber which, in the position of l1`ig.l 2, would,

act as `a;substantial closure fortheopen edge of the box 2. f A contractile spring -20 has .'.has its oppositeend secured'to the inner end i '18 Y.0f the arm 18.

As willbe obvious, the

,- tendency of, the springQO is to move the arm 1 8 into the position ofFig; 3. A stirrup 21 is secured to or. formed integral; withthe armA 18 and depends ,therefrom, carryingat. itsv vfree end aprojection or foot 425 adapted to enter the space between-the two figure plates ila-nd to engage the upright 4. v f, f

Y "A, springfpressed contact member ZQ-con-v nected to one side of a source ofelectrical f energy is mounted on "but insulated from the arm 18, while acontactfplate 23 connected to .housing 17'. isenergized atalltimeswhen said but maybe outlined as follows.

housing 17 is without the box Q.

`Preferablv, an American llag indicated at 2li* ishung romthe arm 18, as indicated. i

Theoperation of the device will be obvious, Presuming that the parts are in the position of Eig. 2,

Tand that the driverwishes to projecthis sig-` v Y engagement in one of theape'rturesl' and nal, he releases the locking pin llrom its permits the drum -to turn to unwind 'the cable 11i The gravitativeeliect of the ligureV 3 2 `willcause counter-clockwise rotationiof the links rv7 and18 tobring the figure Y3 into-the `position illustrated in( Figs.1 and 3. The

spring-Q0 will-causethearm 181tolbe pro.-l

1 jected tothe .position ofuFigxS', thecontact elements au'dl23'1cooperating Ato illuminate the signal 17. This-'operation projects the..

oneI of` a series of projected poxhas been completed and the driver is ready The signal 4housing is.

ligure 3 into a position spaced laterally from the lett-hand side of the bus and clearly visible to cars approaching along the road from either direction. It also brings the signal 17 into a position visible from'either direction.

When .the loading or unloading of the bus to proceed he rotates the drum 13 to wind in the cable 11. V ,Assisted by the spring 10, the cable '11- causes clockwise rotation of the links 7 K4and 8, bringing the elements into the dotted-line position of Fig. 3. At this point,

the upright-4:k engages the projection 25 on the stirrup 21 and, as the figure is moved -l'arther'into the box 2, such engagement of fthelupright 4 with the projection 25 enforces counter-clockwise krotation of the arm 18 against the tension of the spring 20. Continued rotation of the drum13 will bring the parts into the position of Fig, 2,'the contact member .22. leavingfthe contact plate 23 just as the housing 17 enters the box-2. y

' Iclaimas my inventiom. 1'. The combination with a vehicle, of fa signaltherefor comprising a figure of a child mounted on saidvehicle ina substantially upright position, and means for projecting saidligure into a position in which the feet of said ligure are disposed substantially uponv the roadway, and in which said figure is visible from an approaching vehicle.

2. The combination with a vehicle, .of a signal therefor comprising a figure of a child mounted on the rearend of the vehiclefin Va substantially upright position, and means for projecting saidligure into a positionin which the feet ofsaid ligure are disposed substantially upon the roadway, and-1in which said ligure is` visible from points in front of said vehicle and fromV points intherear of saidV vehicle. Y i .y i

3. The combination with a vehicle adapted to stop upon a roadway with its one side yclose to. an edge of the roadway, of a signal thereforcomprising a ligure mounted onsaid vehicle and projectable into a position inthe roadway spaced outwardly from they opposite side of said vehicle.

' 4:. The combination with a vehicle, of a signal therefor mounted on said vehicle comprising a ligure,` means for supporting said ligure'in aV verticalposition and means for projecting said ligure beyond-the side of thevehicle vwhile maintaining thesame in said vertical position throughout the projectingmovement thereof. L

5. The combination with a vehicle, of a signalingmeans therefor including a ligure mounted on therea'r end ofi said vehicle, an illuminated signal .likewise mounted onv the 'rear vend .of said vehicle,'means for projectingsa'id ligure whilein itsvertical position beyond the side of the vehicle,V and-means aliected by the projection of said figure for projecting said illuminated signal from the side of the vehicleL In witness whereof, I, ROBERT GROVER VAN DUYN have hereunto set my hand at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 2ndv day of October, A. D. one thousand nine hundred and, thirty.

ROBERT GRoVER VAN DUYN. 

